Parents
A creative soul If you don’t know her name, you will surely recognise her books. Here’s how Julia Johnson became Dubai’s best-loved children’s author
Originally from the UK, Julia Johnson trained as a teacher before moving to Dubai in 1975
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Issue 8 | March 2020
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hildren’s author Julia Johnson needs no introduction. With more than 20 children’s books under her belt, her name is synonymous with classics such as Humpy Grumpy Camel and The Pearl Diver, titles that have become an integral part of the UAE school curriculum. Lesser known is that Johnson trained as a teacher in the UK before moving to Dubai in 1975 (with a stint back home from 19892001) and that she regularly visits primary schools to conduct drama workshops with students. “For the younger children, I use puppets to represent my characters,
such as the Humpy Grumpy Camel,” Johnson explains. “To tell the story of my new book, Lizard and Toad, I have lizard and toad characters and I sometimes use video clips or a PowerPoint to explain things. I have some atmospheric film footage of pearl diving, for instance.” Johnson was 24 when she moved to Dubai with her husband. One of her first jobs was reading bedtime stories for children on the radio. She also narrated spooky stories for adults for a radio slot called ‘listen if you dare’. Later, she was asked to read stories live on television. She was soon asked to write book reviews for a local newspaper and then articles for Emirates Woman and Time Out. The first site Johnson visited back then was the Dubai Museum. “I was fascinated by the history of pearl diving in the area and that
